NFL Player News

Patriots running back Shane Vereen had little success in the running game in Week 9, but continued to show he can be a dangerous option out of the backfield in a 43-21 win over the Broncos.

Vereen was held to just 29 rushing yards on 11 carries, his third game with fewer than 30 rushing yards in four opportunities. However, he hauled in five passes in the game for 38 yards and scored on a 5-yard reception from Tom Brady in the second quarter, his third receiving touchdown in as many games.

Though he averages 4.5 yards per carry, it is clear the Patriots simply don't view Vereen as a No. 1 running back. His value comes from his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, so it is a good thing Brady is starting to look his way near the end zone. He should be viewed as a solid Fantasy option, though clearly a step up in PPR formats once the team returns from it's Week 10 bye. 

Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman struggled to do much in Week 9 against the Patriots, but he still showed why being the lead back in Peyton Manning's offense is good for business in the blowout loss.

Hillman, who had been averaging 105.3 yards of total offense over the previous four games, had just 63 Sunday, including just 16 on 10 carries on the ground. However, he still found the end zone twice, as he shows he can be effective when given the chance near the goal line.

Juwan Thompson vultured three touchdowns over the previous four games, and those were opportunities that would have otherwise gone to Hillman. At the very least, it is clear that there are going to be opportunities for Hillman to be productive, even during his bad games.

Fantasy owners can comfortably slot Hillman into their starting lineup for Week 10 against a Raiders team that gave up two touchdowns to Marshawn Lynch in Week 9. 

Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson looked to be getting back on track in recent weeks, but fell back on bad habits in Week 9's 29-26 win over the Redskins.

Patterson was targeted seven times in the game, one week after having 12 passes thrown his way, but he couldn't do anything with them this time. Patterson had trouble getting on the same page as quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and ended up catching just one of those passes for 9 yards, his third game with single digits in yards in the last five.

Patterson had 15 Fantasy points in his previous two games, but has now failed to record more than 1 in three of the last four games. He simply isn't a big enough part of this offense to be viewed as anything more than a high-upside flier at the end of your bench.

Seahawks running backs Robert Turbin and Christine Michael managed to get some work Week 9.

Turbin gained 35 yards on five carries. He also hauled in one ball for 14 yards. Michael received four carries, gaining 16 yards. He was not a factor in the passing game.

Both players will look for more Week 10 against the Giants. 

Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon remains the top option in the running game, but Matt Asiata just won't go away, as he showed yet again in Week 9's win over the Redskins Sunday.

McKinnon was once again the top option in the rushing game, picking up 54 rushing yards on 14 carries, while adding three receptions for 14 yards. Asiata, on the other hand, had just 26 yards on 10 carries, but got the bulk of the goal-line work en route to three more touchdowns.

The Vikings clearly trust McKinnon for a big role between the 20's, and he has mostly answered the call, averaging 73.2 rushing yards per game on 5.2 yards per carry since his Week four breakout. However, he has yet to score a touchdown in that time, while Asiata has six touchdowns in that same time span, on the strength of a pair of three-score games.

If McKinnon was to get more goal-line work, there is no guarantee he would be successful with it. However, that would probably be the best outcome for Fantasy owners, who can't feel comfortable trusting Asiata either. At this point, McKinnon is clearly the best option here, but there is a ceiling on his Fantasy potential as long as Asiata is around. Consider him more of a second running back option down the stretch, with the Vikings on a bye in Week 10.  

A report came out early Sunday that rookie Terrance West could lead the Browns in carries Week 9 against Tampa Bay, and sure enough, he did. But he didn't put the Browns' running back controversy to rest with his performance, picking up just 48 yards against a defense that entered the game ranked 31st against the run.

Of course, Ben Tate, who had been the Browns' primary ball carrier leading up to Week 9, was even worse, netting just 3 yards on 10 carries. Strangely enough, though, he suddenly became a factor in the passing game, catching a season-high four balls for 29 yards.

Meanwhile, Isaiah Crowell, who has been the most productive rusher of the three on a per-carry basis, was nowhere to be found. He was active for the game but didn't have a single carry or catch.

Because West clearly outperformed Tate and did at least score a touchdown on his one catch of the game (a 2-yarder in the third quarter), he probably earned himself another long look Week 10 at Cincinnati, but with no one player standing out in this three-headed mess, you might just want to avoid Browns running backs for now. West is worth a flier off the waiver wire, but that's about all I can say for him.

The Raiders backup receivers did little Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Andre Holmes hauled in two passes for 28 yards during the contest. He finished third on the team in receiving. Brice Butler also had two receptions, gaining 20 yards. James Jones grabbed three passes, but gained just 18 yards. Running back Latavius Murray caught two balls for 12 yards. Kenbrell Thompkins caught one pass, gaining 8 yards.

They'll look for more Week 10 against the Broncos. 

Raiders running back Darren McFadden did absolutely nothing on the ground Week 9.

McFadden carried the ball 13 times, gaining 20 yards. He averaged just 1.5 yards per carry on the day. McFadden did find a way to provide value through the passing game. He wound up leading the team in receiving yards, catching four passes for 47 yards. McFadden was targeted five times during the contest. 

McFadden will take on the Broncos Week 10. 

Rams running back Benny Cunningham rushed for just 10 yards on four carries Sunday but caught all three of his targets for a team-high 38 receiving yards in his team's 13-10 win over the 49ers in Week 9.

Cunningham is well behind rookie Tre Mason in the running game but continues to have an impact in the passing game, and he now has managed 20 receptions for 167 yards and one touchdown as a receiver to go along with 173 rushing yards on 44 carries and two rushing scores. He'll likely play a similar role in Week 10 when the Rams face the Cardinals.

After sitting out Week 9 at Cleveland because of a sprained ankle, Buccaneers starting running back Doug Martin has now missed three games this year, and in all three, backup Bobby Rainey has gone for more than 100 yards combined rushing and receiving.

His most impressive effort came Week 2 against St. Louis, when he had 144 yards on 22 carries and 30 on three catches, but Week 9 was noteworthy in its own right. He had 87 yards on 19 carries and 34 on his only catch.

And that was with him having just four carries in the second half of a game that became something of a shootout -- or at least as much of one as the Buccaneers and Browns can have. Just imagine if he got an even workload from start to finish.

When you consider Martin's season-high in combined yards is only 74, you have to wonder why the Buccaneers would even go back to him, but since they've done it once before, you can't discount that possibility. Still, as the backup of an injury-prone running back whose performance alone has him on thin ice, Rainey is nothing short of must-own in Fantasy.